Two GNR officers from Esposende accused of embezzling 7,440 euros in fines
The Public Prosecutor's Office has accused two GNR officers from Esposende of misappropriating 7,440 euros in traffic fines. The defendants face dozens of counts of embezzlement and abuse of power.
GNR in Esposende: officers accused of collecting fines in cash and keeping the money
The Public Prosecutor's Office has accused two GNR officers from Esposende of unlawfully misappropriating 7,440 euros from traffic fines collected during their duties, according to reports by Correio da Manhã.
The accusation was announced this Tuesday. According to a statement published on the page of the Porto Regional Public Prosecutor's Office, the two defendants — a man and a woman — set up a joint scheme in at least March 2024 to keep the fine money for themselves.
The scheme
The officers approached drivers who had committed traffic violations and demanded immediate payment of the fines in cash. Instead of registering the infringements in the official system — the SCoT — and handing over the amounts to the police station's administrative office, they retained the money for their own benefit.
In various cases, they handed drivers copies of traffic violation reports to give an appearance of legality to the enforcement action. Internally, however, the cases were never formally processed.
Amounts and individual responsibilities
The Public Prosecutor's Office established that the two officers jointly misappropriated 4,380 euros. One of the defendants also acted independently, having embezzled a further 3,060 euros — bringing the total amount indicted to 7,440 euros.
The female defendant is charged with 14 counts of embezzlement and 14 counts of abuse of power. The other defendant is charged with 27 counts of embezzlement and 27 counts of abuse of power.
Requested sentences
The Public Prosecutor's Office requested, as an ancillary penalty, a ban on holding public office for both defendants. A request was also made for the forfeiture of gains obtained for the benefit of the State, in an amount corresponding to the sums embezzled.
Source: Correio da Manhã